With Lynn Camps coach resigning it seems that there is always turnover at some schools. It made me think what are the best jobs and worst jobs in the 13th based on athletes, community support, administrative support and so on? What are the schools you would want to be a coach at and which schools would you avoid?
Corbin has the highest ceiling, but you'd better have a really thick skin there.
Bell County, Knox Central, and Harlan County can thrive with the right coach.
The Laurel County jobs should be better than what they've been. Just seems like football is an afterthought, particularly at South.
Whitley County is a mixed bag with some plusses, but you've got to get past the administrative meddling and keeping your kids from Corbin.
Williamsburg must be a pretty good job since they've only had three coaches in the last 40-plus years. Hard to reach the very top, but good community support.
Middlesboro feels like feast or famine. You can win there, but things go really bad if you don't.
Lynn Camp is brutal stuck between Corbin and KC.
Harlan and Pineville have just enough to be decent in Class A and I like the small community schools but there's always a fight to get enough bodies.
Jackson County is full of wonderful people, but the infrastructure to have a winning football program isn't there and may not be there for another generation.
I'm never quite sure about Clay County. Football doesn't seem to get as much meddling as basketball, but you're second fiddle and the pool of athletes in Manchester seems like it's dwindled over time.
(03-29-2023, 01:14 PM)I dodger Wrote: [ -> ]Corbin has the highest ceiling, but you'd better have a really thick skin there.
Bell County, Knox Central, and Harlan County can thrive with the right coach.
The Laurel County jobs should be better than what they've been. Just seems like football is an afterthought, particularly at South.
Whitley County is a mixed bag with some plusses, but you've got to get past the administrative meddling and keeping your kids from Corbin.
Williamsburg must be a pretty good job since they've only had three coaches in the last 40-plus years. Hard to reach the very top, but good community support.
Middlesboro feels like feast or famine. You can win there, but things go really bad if you don't.
Lynn Camp is brutal stuck between Corbin and KC.
Harlan and Pineville have just enough to be decent in Class A and I like the small community schools but there's always a fight to get enough bodies.
Jackson County is full of wonderful people, but the infrastructure to have a winning football program isn't there and may not be there for another generation.
I'm never quite sure about Clay County. Football doesn't seem to get as much meddling as basketball, but you're second fiddle and the pool of athletes in Manchester seems like it's dwindled over time.
You nailed this one out of the park in my opinion, great post
(03-29-2023, 01:14 PM)dodger Wrote: [ -> ]Corbin has the highest ceiling, but you'd better have a really thick skin there.
Bell County, Knox Central, and Harlan County can thrive with the right coach.
The Laurel County jobs should be better than what they've been. Just seems like football is an afterthought, particularly at South.
Whitley County is a mixed bag with some plusses, but you've got to get past the administrative meddling and keeping your kids from Corbin.
Williamsburg must be a pretty good job since they've only had three coaches in the last 40-plus years. Hard to reach the very top, but good community support.
Middlesboro feels like feast or famine. You can win there, but things go really bad if you don't.
Lynn Camp is brutal stuck between Corbin and KC.
Harlan and Pineville have just enough to be decent in Class A and I like the small community schools but there's always a fight to get enough bodies.
Jackson County is full of wonderful people, but the infrastructure to have a winning football program isn't there and may not be there for another generation.
I'm never quite sure about Clay County. Football doesn't seem to get as much meddling as basketball, but you're second fiddle and the pool of athletes in Manchester seems like it's dwindled over time.
Nice assessment.
1. Corbin- the name sells itself to kids wanting to be a part of the program
2. Bell County- similar to Corbin just has geographic disadvantages and economic disadvantages to Corbin
3. Harlan County- great facilities.
4. Knox Central, they struggle with kids leaving for Bell or Corbin a problem not as prevalent recently, but more likely there than at Harlan. That's the only difference I see in those two jobs.
5. Williamsburg- great support can win consistently regionally, once every 8-10 years have a shot at the Class A in the current set up.
6. North Laurel
7. Clay County- getting out of 4a moved them up a couple of spots
8.Harlan
9. Pineville- now that the school isn't in danger of shutting down this job is better than it was, but huge risks of loosing players to Bell Co, Knox Central, and Middlesboro
10. South Laurel- no one seems to stick around and get it done there
11. Whitley County- too much good old boy politics in place to win there
12. Lynn Camp- Stuck between Corbin and Knox Central, with the right coach and 10 years could get back to some semblance of a program but it's in shambles at the moment.
`13. Jackson Co- no tradition, tough geography for kids to get to and from practice when they don't have a school bus, and seems to have very little community support for football.
As a Corbin fan, I admit that I'm not a Bell County fan. However, I do like seeing them do well. They've had some great records in recent years and even a trip to the title game, but I see them on the downward slope. It just seems that too many people are moving out of the area. They're clearly the #2 program but I can see North Laurel (If they stay committed to football) taking that spot before long.
Corbin is growing, London is growing. I think those two will be your teams going forward. The biggest drawback for North is that they have to deal with the Pulaski Schools. Even if Corbin moves up to 5A, their tradition alone will keep them at the top. I would love to see Bell and Middlesboro get back to their glory days on a consistent basis though.
Williamsburg is a place that has great community support but with any Class A school, you can't guarantee the talent to stick around or be present in each class. In years where you catch lightning in a bottle like 8 or 9 years ago, you can do great things there. They still remain solid albeit not always a contender so my hats off to their administration and most importantly Coach Herron.
Wonder how Coach Haddix would rank the Corbin job--- in particular , the support from administration ?
1. Bell
2. Corbin
3. Harlan co
4. Clay Co
5. Knox C
6. North Laurel
7. Whitley Co
8.Wiliamsburg
9. Middlesboro
10.South Laurel
11.Harlan
12. Lynn Camp
`13. Jackson Co
My 2 cents
1. Corbin (4A)
2. North Laurel (5A)
3. Bell County (3A)
4. Harlan County
5. Knox Central
6. Williamsburg (1A)
7. Whitley County
8. Clay County (playing a1A schedule this year)
9. Middlesboro
10. Pineville
11. Harlan
12 south Laurel
13. Jackson County
14. Lynn Camp